Titel Deelnemers "Korte inhoud" "Does attention capacity moderate the effect of driver distraction in older drivers?" "Ariane CUENEN, Ellen JONGEN, Tom BRIJS, Kris BRIJS, M. Lutin, Karin VAN VLIERDEN, Geert WETS" "With age, a decline in attention capacity may occur and this may impact driving performance especially while distracted. Although the effect of distraction on driving performance of older drivers has been investigated, the moderating effect of attention capacity on driving performance during distraction has not been investigated yet. Therefore, the aim was to investigate whether attention capacity has a moderating effect on older drivers’ driving performance during visual distraction (experiment 1) and cognitive distraction (experiment 2). In a fixed-based driving simulator, older drivers completed a driving task without and with visual distraction (experiment 1, N = 17, mean age 78 years) or cognitive distraction (experiment 2, N = 35, mean age 76 years). Several specific driving measures of varying complexity (i.e., speed, lane keeping, following distance, braking behavior, and crashes) were investigated. In addition to these objective driving measures, subjective measures of workload and driving performance were also included. In experiment 1, crash occurrence increased with visual distraction and was negatively related to attention capacity. In experiment 2, complete stops at stop signs decreased, initiation of braking at pedestrian crossings was later, and crash occurrence increased with cognitive distraction. Interestingly, for a measure of lane keeping (i.e., standard deviation of lateral lane position (SDLP)), effects of both types of distraction were moderated by attention capacity. Despite the decrease of driving performance with distraction, participants estimated their driving performance during distraction as good. These results imply that attention capacity is important for driving. Driver assessment and training programs might therefore focus on attention capacity. Nonetheless, it is crucial to eliminate driver distraction as much as possible given the deterioration of performance on several driving measures in those with low and high attention capacity." "The relation between reinforcement sensitivity and self-reported, simulated and on-road driving in older drivers" "Judith URLINGS, Martijn VAN BEERS, Ariane CUENEN, Kris BRIJS, Tom BRIJS, Ellen JONGEN" "Previous studies on older drivers show that diminishing functional (i.e. visual, motor and cognitive) abilities influence driving behavior. Research on young novice drivers, has shown that personality factors such as reinforcement sensitivity play a role in driving behavior. This relation however, has been understudied in older drivers. The present study investigated the relationship between reinforcement sensitivity and driving in older drivers at risk of diminished driving ability. Driving was assessed by self-report measures (i.e., Driver Behavior Questionnaire), a simulated driving task and an on-road driving assessment. Both general driving as well as specific aspects of driving (i.e. speed, standard deviation of lateral position [SDLP], reactions to unexpected events) were considered. Reinforcement sensitivity was assessed by means of the classical BISnBAS self-report instrument. Additionally, as this has been shown already for adolescents, it was investigated whether behavioral inhibition can function as a surrogate measure of reinforcement sensitivity, by studying the relation between behavioral inhibition and reinforcement sensitivity in the current sample of older adults. Reinforcement sensitivity predicted self-report driving but simulated and on-road driving were mainly predicted by age. In specific aspects of simulated driving, reinforcement sensitivity played only a minor role. The fact that reinforcement sensitivity was related to self-reported driving provides support for the hypothesis that personality differences have a direct influence on older drivers’ self-assessment and possibly on self-regulation and ceasing to drive decisions. Behavioral inhibition was unrelated to reinforcement sensitivity in older drivers and can therefore not function as a surrogate measure of reinforcement sensitivity." "Use of DEA and PROMETHEE II to Assess the Performance of Older Drivers" "Seddigheh BABAEE, M. Bagherikahvarin, R. Sarrazin, Yongjun SHEN, Elke HERMANS" "In recent years, there has been an increasing concern regarding the safety and mobility of elderly drivers. This study aims to evaluate the overall performance and ranking of a sample of 55 drivers, aged 70 and older, based on data from an assessment battery and a fixed-based driving simulator, by using the concept of composite indicators and multi criteria approach. To do so, drivers completed tests of an assessment battery of psychological and physical aspects as well as knowledge of road signs. Moreover, they took part in a driving simulator test in which scenarios that are known to be difficult for older drivers were included. Composite indicators (CIs) are becoming increasingly recognized as a tool for performance evaluation, benchmarking and policy analysis by summarizing complex and multidimensional issues. One of the essential steps in the construction of composite indicators is aggregation and assignment of weights to each sub-indicator which directly affect the quality and reliability of the calculated CIs. In this regard, Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) and Multi Criteria Decision Aiding (MCDA) have been acknowledged as two popular methods for aggregation and problem solving: ranking, sorting and choosing. In this case study, we apply a DEA model to calculate the most optimal performance index score for each driver. On the other hand, we apply a MCDA method to enrich the analysis of this problem by considering preferential information from Decision Makers (DM) using both the raw and the normalized data. The results of this study show that the best and the worst drivers identified by the two models are similar. These observations point out the interest of using PROMETHEE II (Preference Ranking Organization Method for Enrichment Evaluations) and DEA. The high correlation between these results confirms the robustness of our answers." "The effect of a simulator based training on specific measures of driving ability in older drivers." "Ariane CUENEN, Ellen JONGEN, Tom BRIJS, Kris BRIJS, Karin VAN VLIERDEN, Geert WETS" "Since driving is important for quality of life, it is important to keep older drivers safe drivers for as long as possible. Therefore, this study investigated whether driving simulator based training can enhance specific measures of driving ability in older drivers. Forty older drivers participated in the study, but due to drop-out, 30 participants (mean age 69.93) remained in the sample. Participants were randomly assigned to an experimental (N = 15) or an active control group (N = 15). During the training session, participants in both groups drove in the simulator, in order to have equal driving experience in the sim-ulator. In addition, participants in the experimental group received driving-specific feedback on their driving ability, while participants in the active control group received general information about traffic and conducted a traffic-related quiz. During the pre-test and post-test, specific measures of driving ability were assessed in the driving simula-tor (i.e., mean driving speed, standard deviation of lateral position, complete stops at stop signs, giving right of way to traffic at the right side and crashes). Results indicated that both groups had improved lateral control and less crashes after following a driving simulator based training. In addition, after following a driving simulator based training, participants in the experimental group gave more right of way to traffic at the right side and participants in the active control group drove faster (without exceeding the speed limits). These results demonstrated that driving multiple times in a simulator, improves performance on some measures of driving ability like lateral control. However, in order to improve on measures of driving ability like giving right of way to traffic at the right side, driving-specific feedback is necessary." "The relations between specific measures of simulated driving ability and functional ability: new insights for assessment and training programs of older drivers" "Ariane CUENEN, Ellen JONGEN, Tom BRIJS, Kris BRIJS, M. Lutin, Karin VAN VLIERDEN, Geert WETS" "To gain new insights for driving assessment and training, this study had two objectives: (1) to investigate the relations between specific measures of older drivers’ driving ability and demographic/functional ability measures, and (2) to verify the explained variance of these relations to determine the strength of these relations. A sample of 55 older drivers (mean age 76 years) completed a set of functional ability tests as well as a driving simulator test. Results indicate that (1) each specific driving measure is related to a specific set of functional abilities, and (2) only a small proportion of the variability observed in the specific driving measures is explained by demographic variables (3–15%) and by functional abilities (7–36%). For driving assessment programs, it will be necessary to assess several functional abilities to cover the complexity of the driving task. Furthermore, an assessment program focusing solely on demographic and/or functional ability measures, will not be successful in discriminating safe from unsafe older drivers. For driving training programs, it will be necessary to focus on the right set of functional abilities given that specific driving measures are related to different functional abilities. Moreover, a training targeting functional abilities might only have marginal effects on driving ability, given the relatively low amount of driving ability variance that is explained by functional abilities." "Safety Evaluation of Older Drivers Based on Psychological, Physical and Driving Performance" "Seddigheh BABAEE, Elke HERMANS, Yongjun SHEN, M. Toloo, Tom BRIJS, Geert WETS, Ariane CUENEN" "The safety and mobility of older drivers are challenged by several age-related changes, including sensory, motor and cognitive abilities and a decline in these aspects affect the ability to drive safely. In this study we aim to quantify the overall driving performance of a sample of older drivers using data from an assessment battery and a fixed-based driving simulator. To do so, 55 participants aged 70 years and older completed tests of an assessment battery of psychological and physical aspects as well as knowledge of road signs; In addition, a driving simulator test in which specific driving situations that are known to cause difficulties for older drivers were included. To evaluate the overall performance of each driver, all the above information was combined by using the concept of composite indicators, which combines single indicators into one index score. In recent years, there has been an increasing interest in the methodology for creating a composite indicator, in which the assignment of weights to each sub-indicator is an essential step. One of the promising weighting methods is data envelopment analysis (DEA) in which based on the data set the best possible weights are determined for each Decision Making Unit (DMU) or driver in our case. In this study, instead of using the standard DEA, Common Set of Weights in DEA (CSW-DEA) is applied for the index construction. By applying the model, index values for each driver is calculated which lies between zero and one with a value equal to one identifying a best performer, whereas a score less than one implies underperforming drivers. In addition to the overall performance of the drivers, more detailed insight can be gained from the assigned weights which can be interpreted as indications of the importance shares of the psychological, physical and driving performance." "Social Exclusion in Later Life (SELL). Measurement and drivers of social exclusion among older adults" "Sofie Van Regenmortel" n/a "Comparing the impairment profiles of older drivers and non-drivers: toward the development of a fitness-to-drive model" "Jonathan F Antin, Thurmon Lockhart, Laura M Stanley, Feng Guo" "The purpose of this research effort was to compare older driver and non-driver functional impairment profiles across some 60 assessment metrics in an initial effort to contribute to the development of fitness-to-drive assessment models. Of the metrics evaluated, 21 showed statistically significant differences, almost all favoring the drivers. Also, it was shown that a logistic regression model comprised of five of the assessment scores could completely and accurately separate the two groups. The results of this study imply that older drivers are far less functionally impaired than non-drivers of similar ages, and that a parsimonious model can accurately assign individuals to either group. With such models, any driver classified or diagnosed as a non-driver would be a strong candidate for further investigation and intervention." "Development of single-session driving simulator-based and computer-based training for at-risk older drivers" "Judith URLINGS, Erik Roelofs, Ariane CUENEN, Kris BRIJS, Tom BRIJS, Ellen JONGEN" "A possible path towards preserving and remediating driving skills while aging is driver training. Previous studies have yielded mixed results with respect to various types of interventions, such as classroom-based training, on-road driving classes and functional abilities training. The present study-incorporated training features found to be effective in previous older driver training studies, into both a computer-based and driving simulator-based intervention. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effect of both training formats on general driving ability and specific aspects of driving in older drivers at risk of reduced driving abilities. Additionally, the effect of training on perceived task demand was studied, and learning capacity was considered as an influencing factor on training effectiveness. A total of 31 older drivers were randomly assigned to three groups: driving simulator-based training, computer-based training, and an active control group. The participants completed a cognitive assessment including evaluation of learning capacity and a self-assessment of task demand in various traffic situations. Additionally, participants took a driving simulator assessment. Knowledge of road signs, general driving and specific aspects of driving (i.e., average speed, response time to hazards) improved with training, although improvement was found to be evenly strong in all groups. Learning capacity did not influence training effectiveness, and no difference was found in perceived task demand before and after training. The proposed methodology to evaluate training effectiveness, focusing both on clinically relevant and detailed transfer effects can serve as an example for further studies in the field of driver training." "The Relation Between Visual Attention And Specific Measures Of Driving In Older Drivers" "Ellen JONGEN, Tom BRIJS, Kris BRIJS, Mark Lutin, Marloes Cattersel, Geert WETS" "Given the increase of older drivers, their higher crash rates, and the importance of mobility for health, research aimed at keeping elderly people in their car as safe drivers for as long as possible is important. The goal of this study was to investigate the underlying cognitive mechanisms of driving in a group of elderly drivers. More specifically, given its important role in driving, the cognitive mechanism of visual attention was investigated. Twenty-five drivers participated in the study. Each participant completed two 14.5km-rides in a driving simulator; one without and one with visual distraction. Measures of driving that are problematic for elderly drivers were selected: turning left and giving way at an intersection, responding to signs and road hazards, and distraction. Common measures of driving (SDLP,speed,collisions) were added. Subtests of the useful field of view (UFOV) and the attention network test(ANT), served as measures of attention. Rather than summarizing driving ability into one score, the authors were interested in how the separate driving measures were related to separate measures of attention. A number of interesting relations were found of processing speed, selective attention and attentional orienting capacity with turning left and gap acceptance, giving way, hazard response speed, and SDLP. As discussed, these relations can be used to guide future development of cognitive and simulator-based training interventions tailored to an individual by specifically targeting those driving functions and cognitive functions that are impaired."